Best Late-Night Dining Minneapolis 2011 - Haute Dish

Haute Dish offers a classy alternative to the chaotic bar-and-club scene along Hennepin and First avenues in downtown Minneapolis. Late in the evening the barstools are mostly all filled, but the crowds aren't crushing. The music is loud enough to give the place buzz but not so cranked up that you have to resort to shouting. After a night of drinking, the meat-heavy menu from chef-owner Landon Schoenefeld makes for some fine alcohol-tempering fare. Crackling fried chicken, on a bed of greens and shrimp-studded grits, satisfies late-night cravings. As does the Monte Cristo, which is sort of like a ham-turkey-and-Swiss French toast sandwich, enhanced at Haute Dish with a few slices of foie gras to add a little je ne sais quois. Also noteworthy: Haute Dish is conveniently located next to Sex World, in case late-night diners want to, uh, extend the evening even longer.